When constructing an FAQ page for a website or other online service, simplicity and user-friendliness are the key. One shouldn’t have to scroll up and down a page searching for a question. On the other hand, forcing one to use the “search” option on the FAQ page when the question is seemingly common and/or simple is also something an aspiring FAQ builder should avoid.

The FAQ section for Netflix seems to be the perfect combination of simplicity and usefulness. You’ll notice that the page offers all of (what I assume to be) the most frequently asked questions about the service, but avoids revealing the answers unless a specific question is clicked on. This helps keep the page clean and avoid anything that might be confusing to a casual user (probably the type of person most likely to visit the FAQs). Packt Publishing offers a similarly well-designed FAQ page.

An FAQ model to avoid is the design used by Square Enix Holdings. The page is messy, with a list of dozens of questions organized by topic. Also, you’ll notice that the table of contents for the site appears at the top of the page, but scrolling down reveals the same sections along with the lists of questions. A more helpful approach might be to include the table of contents on one page and a separate list for each section.